Collapsible container for receiving waste body fluids

ABSTRACT

A collapsible container for receiving waste body fluids comprising a flexible pouch, a rigid collar, and a collapsible reservoir integral with the rigid collar. The flexible pouch has a funnel-shaped mouth area for conforming to the face of the user. A stopper is sized to seal the funnel-shaped mouth area. The rigid collar comprises a first end adjacent the mouth area and a second end adjacent the collapsible reservoir. The second end forms a circumferential flange to flare the reservoir. The collapsible reservoir includes a top and a bottom, the top adjacent the circumferential flange of the collar. The bottom has an annular rim that can engage with the stopper so that the stopper forms a base for the container. A cage is within the flexible pouch, the cage comprising a neck area that is aligned within the rigid collar. A floater or stop cock within the cage rises as body fluid fills the cage to seal the neck area.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] This invention relates to a collapsible container for receivingwaste body fluids. Particularly to a collapsible container that issealable after receiving waste body fluids.

BACKGROUND OF INVENTION

[0002] Waste body fluids such as emesis (vomit), urine or other possiblysemisolid wastes should be contained in a sealable container forsanitary considerations. A sealable container that is easily accessibleis also advantageous. Bed patients may not be able to use regularbathroom facilities and require a portable container that is quicklyavailable. Typically, hospitals use a kidney-shaped basis for collectionof emesis. Sealable containers for the collection of wastes, such as acollapsible bag with an outside cap to prevent spillage of urine, arewell known.

[0003] Van Den Burg, U.S. Pat. No. 5,894,607, discloses a collapsibleurine collection device with a hinged cap. The collection bag is made ofa flexible material. One of the patented embodiments comprises a rigidpipe neck for holding the device in place. Einbinder, in U.S. Pat. No.5,406,650, discloses a collapsible urine receiver with an inlet throughwhich the urine is collected, and an air outlet vent. Both the inlet andthe air bent can be made of collapsible material. The '650 patentdiscloses that both of the openings can be closed by a sealing cap whichcan be attached by a keeper string or by a bayonet-like connection.

[0004] Various patents have disclosed types of support systems. Beckman,U.S. Pat. No. 3,568,218 discloses a foldable disposable urine container.The urine container is made of two sealed together sheets of highlyflexible material. The container has an internal support attached to theinlet channel at an angle, and extending into the urine container. Thisinternal support is made of material more rigid than the urinecontainer. The internal support can be either detached or attached tothe container, or it can be made of the same material as the containerand inflated for support.

[0005] Gailleteau, U.S. Pat. No. 5,946,738, discloses a pouch forreceiving liquid waste such as emesis and urine. The pouch is equippedwith an internal reinforcement element, namely a relatively rigid andflexible sleeve with a cut-out on each side. In the flattenedconfiguration of the pouch the sleeve itself is flattened and presentstwo wall elements disposed one against the other, while, in order tobring the collar into its tubular configuration and open the opening,the sleeve is deformed to adapt a so-called “open” configuration.

[0006] Thomas, U.S. Pat. No. 6,070,277, discloses a reusable foldablewaste receptacle bag for receiving urine, fecal matter, and vomit forlater disposal The invention disclosed is a bag like device containingtwo layers of gelling absorbents which harden when exposed to urineand/or feces. The top of the collection bag is an important part inallowing the bag to perform properly and not leak. Ericson, U.S. Pat.No. 3,781,922, and Atkins, U.S. Pat. No. 3,742,523, both disclose funnelurine collection devices. Ericson '922 discloses a collapsible funnelwith a rigid rim top adapted for a sealed cover, and a sample containerthat attaches at the funnel bottom opening. Atkins '523 discloses adisposable urinal with a rigid funnel and a flexible bag. The funnelextends into the receiver bag, and has a bulbous end with radialdimension sufficient to elevate the discharge opening so that no reentryof urine back into the funnel occurs.

[0007] Other patents have dealt with collection bags for bodily wastematerials. Jenson, U.S. Pat. No. 5,592,699, discloses a mouthpiece for aurinal for a bedridden patients. Nilsson, U.S. Pat. No. 4,753,642,discloses a valve assembly for a urine-collecting container.

[0008] What is needed is a collapsible container that can be easily heldin position by the user when needed for emesis or urine. A collapsiblecontainer that is sealable after use is also advantageous.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0009] The present invention provides a collapsible and sealablecontainer for receiving waste body fluids, vomit, for example. Becausethe container is collapsible, it can be easily stored until needed.Preferably the container can be sealed with a stopper to preventspillage and has sufficient rigidity to rest on a surface in an uprightposition. A stop cock or floater within the container reduces reflux oroverflow of the waste fluid by closing off the container as it becomesfilled. The collapsible container comprises a rigid neck area to allowthe user to hold the container in position. For use as a vomit bag, thecollapsible container preferably comprises a wide mouth area that isflexible to adapt to or fit comfortably on the face of the user. In onepreferred embodiment, the collapsible container comprises a flexiblepouch having a mouth, a rigid collar, and a collapsible reservoir.Preferably, a cage is positioned within the collapsible reservoir. Thecage can comprise a neck area aligned within the rigid collar, a flangearea and two or more collapsible legs extending from the flange area toan annular base so that the collapsible container can expand when thelegs are extended thereby expanding the receiving area of the reservoir.In a preferred embodiment, the reservoir further comprises a conical orspherical floater positioned within the cage for sealing the neck area.As the reservoir is being filled with liquid, the floater rises to theneck of the cage guided by the legs of the cage. The floater is sized toseal the neck thereby reducing spillage of the liquid body waste.Preferably a stopper is sized to seal the mouth of the container tofurther reduce the possibility of spillage.

[0010] In another preferred embodiment of the collapsible container forreceiving waste body fluids, the container comprises a flexible pouch,the flexible pouch comprising a funnel-shaped mouth, a rigid collar, anda collapsible reservoir integral with the rigid collar. The rigid collarcan comprise a first end adjacent the mouth and a second end adjacentthe collapsible reservoir, the second end forms a circumferentialflange. The collapsible reservoir can comprise a top and a bottom, thetop adjacent the circumferential flange of the collar, the bottomcomprising an annular rim. Preferably, a cage is located within theflexible pouch to contain and guide the floater as liquid rises withinthe reservoir. The cage can comprise a neck area that is aligned withinthe rigid collar, a flange area and a mid-section. A stopper can besized to seal the funnel-shaped mouth, the stopper comprising stoppertabs adapted to interlock with the mouth. In one preferred embodiment,the stopper can be inverted and locked into an annular rim on the bottomof the flexible pouch to provide a support base for the collapsiblecontainer.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0011]FIG. 1 depicts a frontal view, partially in section, of oneembodiment of the present invention.

[0012]FIG. 1a is a cross-sectional view of the stopper.

[0013]FIG. 2 depicts a frontal view, partially in section, of anotheraspect of the present invention.

[0014]FIG. 2a is a cross sectional view of the bottom of the collapsiblecontainer.

[0015]FIG. 3 illustrates the present invention in a collapsed position.

[0016]FIG. 4 depicts a prospective view of the collapsed containershowing a partial section view.

[0017]FIG. 5 depicts a frontal view of another embodiment of the presentinvention.

[0018] It is noted that the drawings illustrate only some typicalembodiments of the invention and are therefore not to be consideredlimiting of its scope, for the invention will admit to other equallyeffective embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0019] The present invention provides a container that is bothcollapsible and sealable for receiving waste body fluids, vomit, forexample. Because the container is collapsible, it can be easily storeduntil needed. Although collapsible, the preferred container comprises arigid cage to provide an internal framework for the container. Thecollapsible container comprises a rigid collar so that the user can holdthe container in position while emitting. Preferably the container canbe sealed with a stopper to prevent spillage and, because of its rigidcollar, has sufficient rigidity to rest on a surface in an uprightposition. A stopcock or floater within the cage is guided by theframework of the cage as the liquid rises within the reservoir. Thelighter-than-liquid floater floats into the neck area and closes off theneck when the reservoir area of the collapsible container becomes fullthereby avoiding overflow of body wastes. For use as a vomit bag, thecollapsible container preferably comprises a wide mouth area that isflexible to adapt or fit comfortably on the face of the user.

[0020] Although the collapsible container for receiving body wastefluids can be used for many types of waste fluids, the detaileddescription of the present invention will focus on a container usefulfor receiving vomit. Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the collapsiblecontainer 10 comprises a flexible pouch 20 having a widened mouth area22, a rigid collar 30, and a collapsible reservoir 40. A cage 60 ispositioned within the flexible pouch 20 to provide a framework and guidea floater 70 which acts as a stop cock to close off the reservoir 40.Preferably a stopper 80 is sized to seal the opening 22 a formed by themouth area 22 of the container. The mouth area 22 flares outwardcircumferentially from the rigid collar 30 to adapt to a user's face.Preferably, the mouth area 22 comprises a flexible, semi-rigid materialthat is funnel-shaped to fit comfortably about the face of the user.

[0021] The collapsible container 10 can be manufactured from a sturdyplastic material that is pliable so that the container 10 can retain thecharacteristic of being collapsible. The plastic material can be apolymer that is both chemically and thermally stable to allow forsterilization of the container 10. Alternatively, an inexpensive plasticcan be used so that the collapsible container 10 is disposable.Preferably, the flexible pouch 20 is comprised of a translucent or atransparent plastic material so that the volume of the liquid within thecontainer 10 is visible. As illustrated by FIG. 5, liquid measurementscan be imprinted on the pouch 20. In one preferred embodiment, theplastic material can be reinforced in certain areas to provide rigiditywhen necessary, the area comprising the collar 30, for example. Therigid collar 30 is provided to allow the user to securely hold onto thecollapsible container 10. To this end, the rigid collar 30 extends fromthe mouth area 22 to the collapsible reservoir 40 and is long enough toallow the user to grasp it with one hand. The rigid collar 30 comprisesa first end 32 adjacent the mouth area 22 and a second end 34 adjacentthe collapsible reservoir 40. The first end 32 forms a firstcircumferential flange 32 extending outwardly about the funnel-shapedmouth area 22. The second end 34 forms a second circumferential flange34 extending outwardly and preferably bent to form an extension ledge36. The outwardly extending second end 34 and ledge 36 help with theexpansion of the reservoir 40 by forming a flare configuration at thetop 41 of the collapsible reservoir 40. In one embodiment, the rigidcollar 30, the mouth area 22 and the collapsible reservoir 40 areintegral so that the flexible pouch 20 is one unit. The pouch 20 can bemanufactured with material having varying degrees of rigidity toaccommodate the required characteristics of each structure.Alternatively, the rigid collar 30 can comprise a separate structurethat is fixidly attached to the mouth area 22 on first end 32 andfixedly attached to the collapsible reservoir 40 at the second end 34.

[0022] The collapsible reservoir 40 comprises a top 41 and a bottom 43,the top 43 is adjacent the circumferential flange 34 of the collar 30,and the bottom 43 comprises an annular rim 45. Preferably thecollapsible reservoir 40 is widest at the middle 44 to provide a greatercapacity for containing the body waste fluids. The collapsible reservoiris made of pliant material to allow the pouch 20 to collapse when not inuse as illustrated in FIGS. 3 and 4.

[0023] In one preferred embodiment, the collapsible container 10comprises a cage 60 within the reservoir 40. The cage 60 is collapsiblebut formed from a rigid material to provide an internal framework forthe collapsible pouch 20. This framework can provide some rigidity tothe pouch 20 when held by the user. The cage 60 within the flexiblepouch 20 preferably comprises a neck area 62 that is aligned within therigid collar 30. The cage further comprises a flange area 64 and two ormore collapsible legs 66 extending from the flange area 64 to an annularbase 63. Preferably, the cage comprises six legs 66 to form theframework. The collapsibility of the legs 66 in one preferred embodimentis provided by a joint 67 in the legs 66. The collapsible legs 66comprise jointed leg segments 66 a, 66 b that fold on each other.

[0024] Referring to FIGS. 1, 2 and 4, a floating stop cock 70 or floater70 is positioned within the cage 60. The floater 70 is adapted to riseas the body liquids fill the reservoir 40. Preferably, the floater 70 isformed from materials that are lighter or less dense than body liquidsand impervious to corrosion by the liquids, Styrofoam™ plastic, forexample. As seen in FIGS. 1 and 2, the floater 70 rises as the liquidbody waste fills the reservoir 40 and, guided by the frame work of thecage 60, seals the reservoir 40 at the neck area 62 to reduce overflowof the liquids. To effect the sealing off of the pouch 20 by the floater70, the floater 70 comprises an upper section 71, a mid-section 72 and alower section 74. In one embodiment, the neck 62 of the cage 60comprises an inverse cone shape. The upper section 71 of the floater 70is preferably conical in shape to align within the neck 62 to effectsealing of the neck area 62. The mid-section 72 preferably comprises apolygonal shape to align within the legs 66 and the lower section 74 ispreferably spherical in shape for stability.

[0025] Alternatively, the cage can comprise a mesh bag (not shown) toconfine and guide the floater 70 as it moves upward in the liquids. Inanother preferred embodiment, (not shown), the floater can comprise aconical or spherical shape that mirrors the conical shape of the neck sothat sealing of the area can be effected.

[0026] To tightly seal the collapsible container 10 after use, astopper, FIG. 4, 80, sized to seal the opening 22 a of the mouth area 22is provided. Referring to FIGS. 1 and 1a, in one embodiment, the moutharea 22 comprises and annular ridge for mating with tabs 81 on thestopper 80. Alternatively, the stopper 80 and mouth area 22 are threadedso that the stopper 80 can be screwed into the mouth area 22. Othermethods of securing the mouth 22 of the container 10 with the stopper 80are known in the art and within the scope of this invention.

[0027] In another preferred embodiment as illustrated by FIGS. 1 and 2,the stopper 80 can be used as a base support for the collapsiblecontainer 10. To this effect, the collapsible reservoir 40 furthercomprises an annular rim 45 at its bottom 43. As seen in FIG. 2a, theannular rim 45 can comprise one or more protruding flanges 46 forsecuring the stopper 80. When the stopper 80 is secured to the bottom 43of the collapsible container 10, the stopper acts as a base to supportthe container 10. The tabs of the stopper 80 interlock with theprotruding flanges 46 of the annular rim 45 so that the pouch 10 canrest upon the stopper 80.

[0028] The foregoing description is illustrative and explanatory ofpreferred embodiments of the invention and variations in the size,shape, materials and other details will become apparent to those skilledin the art. It is intended that all such variations and modificationswhich fall within the scope and spirit of the appended claims beembraced thereby.

1. A collapsible container for receiving waste body fluids comprising: aflexible pouch, the flexible pouch comprising a flared mouth area, arigid collar, and a collapsible reservoir; a stopper sized to seal anopening of the mouth area; a cage within the flexible pouch, the cagecomprising a neck area, the neck area aligned within the rigid collar.2. The collapsible container for receiving waste body fluids of claim 1wherein the cage within the flexible pouch further comprises, a flangearea and two or more collapsible legs extending from the flange area toan annular base.
 3. The collapsible container for receiving waste bodyfluids of claim 1 wherein the mouth area comprises an annular ridge forsecuring the stopper.
 4. The collapsible container for receiving wastebody fluids of claim 1 wherein the mouth area flares outwardcircumferentially from the rigid collar to adapt to the user's body. 5.The collapsible container for receiving waste body fluids of claim 1wherein the rigid collar is integral with the collapsible reservoir. 6.The collapsible container for receiving waste body fluids of claim 1wherein the rigid collar comprises a first end adjacent the mouth areaand a second end adjacent the collapsible reservoir, the first endforming a first circumferential flange and the second end forming asecond circumferential flange.
 7. The collapsible container forreceiving waste body fluids of claim 1 wherein the collapsible reservoircomprises a top and a bottom, the top adjacent the circumferentialflange of the collar, the bottom comprising an annular rim.
 8. Thecollapsible container for receiving waste body fluids of claim 6 whereinthe annular rim comprises one or more protruding flanges for securingthe stopper.
 9. The collapsible container for receiving waste bodyfluids of claim 1 further comprising a floater positioned within thecage for sealing the neck area.
 10. The collapsible container forreceiving waste body fluids of claim 1 wherein the neck of the cagecomprises an inverse cone shape.
 11. The collapsible container forreceiving waste body fluids of claim 10 wherein the floater comprises anupper section, a mid-section and a lower section, the upper sectionbeing conical in shape to align within the neck, the mid-sectioncomprising a polygonal shape to align within the legs and the lowersection being spherical in shape.
 12. The collapsible container forreceiving waste body fluids of claim 1 wherein the floater ismanufactured from a material adapted to float in body fluids.
 13. Thecollapsible container for receiving waste body fluids of claim 3 whereinthe stopper comprises one or more tabs to interlock with the annular rimof the mouth area.
 14. The collapsible container for receiving wastebody fluids of claim 7 wherein the one or more tabs of the stopperinterlock with the protruding flanges of the base so that the pouch canrest upon the stopper when the stopper is locked onto the base.
 15. Thecollapsible container for receiving waste body fluids of claim 1 whereinthe collapsible legs of the cage comprise jointed leg segments.
 16. Acollapsible container for receiving waste body fluids comprising: aflexible pouch, the flexible pouch comprising a funnel-shaped moutharea, a rigid collar, and a collapsible reservoir integral with therigid collar; the rigid collar comprising a first end adjacent the moutharea and a second end adjacent the collapsible reservoir, the second endforming a circumferential flange. the collapsible reservoir comprising atop and a bottom, the top adjacent the circumferential flange of thecollar, the bottom comprising an annular rim; a cage within the flexiblepouch, the cage comprising a neck area, the neck area aligned within therigid collar, a flange area and a mid-section; a stopper sized to sealthe funnel-shaped mouth area.
 17. The collapsible container forreceiving waste body fluids of claim 16 wherein the flexible pouch iscomprised of translucent plastic material.
 18. The collapsible containerfor receiving waste body fluids of claim 16 wherein the flexible pouchis comprised of transparent plastic material.
 19. The collapsiblecontainer for receiving waste body fluids of claim 16 wherein thecollapsible reservoir is imprinted with liquid measurements. 20 Thecollapsible container for receiving waste body fluids of claim 16further comprising a stop cock positioned within the cage for sealingthe neck area.
 21. The collapsible container for receiving waste bodyfluids of claim 16 wherein the mid-section of the cage comprises two ormore collapsible legs extending from the flange area to an annular base.22. The collapsible container for receiving waste body fluids of claim21 wherein the floater comprises an upper section, a mid-section and alower section, the upper section being conical in shape to align withinthe neck, the mid-section comprising a polygonal shape to align withinthe legs and the lower section being spherical in shape.
 23. Acollapsible container for receiving waste body fluids comprising: aflexible pouch, the flexible pouch comprising a flared mouth area, arigid collar, and a collapsible reservoir; a cage within the flexiblepouch, the cage comprising a neck area, the neck area aligned within therigid collar, a flange area and two or more collapsible legs extendingfrom the flange area to an annular base; a floater positioned within thecage for sealing the neck area; a stopper sized to seal an opening ofthe mouth area.